The Vampire Diaries Season Five
by RoniCullen
Summary: After her eternity-changing incident during graduation day, Beth struggles with new challenges and problems while trying to hold herself together. Sometimes, the love of your life just isn't enough to stop the darkness that tries to swallow you…
1. I Know What You Did Last Summer

**A/N This is the first episode of Season Five. These episodes will be short for a while, but then it'll get back up to longer episodes. I hope you like this chapter/episode. Oh and in case there was confusion: Bonnie is still alive and attending college with Elena and Caroline; Beth was the only one that died in the season four finale. Please review and tell me what you think! **

* * *

Jeremy had my phone out where I could see it to read Caroline's email to me. He had kept my phone, but to help the story that I had moved to New Orleans, he had the rest of my stuff packed and buried in the back of his closet in his bedroom at the boarding house. I read the email to myself.

Beth,

Hey, you haven't called me. What is up with that? We need to talk about what we're going to do when I'm in college and you're still back in MysticFalls. I pity you, having to live with Jeremy and Damon without your wonderful best friend. Also, we need to talk the color palette for Elena, Bonnie's and my dorm room. Bonnie and Elena don't want to talk about it because it's 'not important'. Can you believe that?! Anyway, email me or text me or call me back. I just need to know that Klaus didn't kill you or something.

-Caroline

I chewed on my lower lip before saying anything to Jeremy.

"Okay, tell her that I'm fine, first of all. Tell her that I've just been busy in New Orleans because I've been sight-seeing with Elijah. Also, tell her that they should go blue and pink for the colors for their dorm and to slap Bonnie and Elena since that _is_ important." I told him. He typed it all down.

"Whoa, erase the first part. Don't start with 'dear'." I told him.

"It's bad enough you're dead, now you're a control freak?" He asked.

"I'm just saying no one starts an email with 'dear' anymore!"

"Fine, fine…" He erased that part and hit send. He stood up, tucking my phone into his pocket.

"I have to go get to school." He told me. He went back inside the boarding house and I followed him since I had nothing else to do. Elena was talking to him when I caught up.

"Let's go over the cover story one more time." She told him.

"There were issues at home. Ever since I lost my parents, my aunt… I've been acting out. Drugs, drinking… I was looking for attention, so I lit my house on fire and faked my own death." He quoted from memory.

"How come you have to act like you're the crazy one when it was Elena that burned the house down and had a major freak out?" I asked. He had to ignore me since Elena was there, but I had to wonder what his answer would have been if he could have talked to me.

"Really stress the drug thing. And I definitely say that the fire was an accident. There's crazy and then there's… well, me." Elena told him. I rolled my eyes.

"Yes, yes, we all know you're wacko, no need to remind us, Elena." I muttered. I could see Jeremy try hard not to smile.

"Or I could just not go back, considering my school already had a memorial for me." Jeremy suggested.

"Ding ding ding! We have a wining answer! Jeremy can just stay here with me! FOREVER!" I yelled, knowing that no matter how much noise I made, no one but Jeremy could hear me. Bonnie knew I was dead, but she couldn't see or hear me. Jeremy was the only person I had left to talk to because it's actually kind of hard to reach out and talk to another ghost. When they said it's lonely on the other side, they weren't kidding! A car horn honked outside. Damon came into the foyer, carrying Elena's suitcase.

"Caroline just pulled up." Damon told Elena.

"I… I can't leave. I should stay, at least until Jeremy's settled into school!"

"You're leaving, Elena. You're going to college. You're going to drink cheap beer and protest about things you don't care about! And _I_ am going to take care of your little brother! Trust me, there is nothing you have to worry about!" Damon assured her.

"Okay… Well, Whitmore is only a couple hours away. So if there's anything you need, Jer, call me." She told Jeremy.

"Hey, I'll see you on laundry day." Jeremy and Elena hugged and she mumbled a goodbye before going over to kiss Damon. I rolled my eyes.

"Jeremy! Jeremy!" I jumped up and down in front of him.

"What am I supposed to do where you are at school?!" I asked. He walked out of the room and I followed him into the kitchen.

"You're going to come with me. At least we can talk, even if you can't talk to anyone else since you're… you know." He told me, saying it quietly to avoid Damon and Elena hearing him and wondering if he'd gone insane.

"Um… No. I've been to high school seventeen times. I'm dead and I'm done!" I told him.

"Fine. Find a way to entertain yourself until I get back." He suggested. I sighed.

"I hate being dead." I complained. He gave me a sympathetic look.

"JEREMY! GET TO SCHOOL!" Damon yelled.

"And I hate being me." He returned.

* * *

During the day, I was bored silly and actually regretted not following Jeremy to school. I followed Damon around, willing him to actually see or hear me. It didn't work, of course. I sat on the coffee table as he got a call from the school, listening intently. I sighed. My vampire hearing wasn't working like a charm anymore. I just sat there until Damon got up and walked out the door.

"Jeremy… Think about me…. Any time now…" I whimpered, bouncing up and down on the balls of my feet. He could only see me when he thought about me and when he thought about me, I was instantly pulled over to wherever he was. As if on queue, I was suddenly in the Grill. I looked at Jeremy as he sat at a table.

"What happened at school? Oh, and you have about a minute before Damon comes in here." I warned. He grimaced at the thought.

"Okay, fine, don't tell me. But Damon looked kind of pissed." I flopped down on the chair next to him and stared at his French fries.

"I miss eating." I moaned.

"I bet you also miss being alive…." He whispered to me, keeping his voice very low since we were in public. I looked over at him, tearing my eyes away from the fries.

"No crap, Sherlock." I shot back. Damon sat down across from Jeremy.

"Uh-oh, you are in so much trouble!" I said in Jeremy's ear.

"One day! One day where you don't screw up!" Damon growled.

"Leave me alone, Damon."

"You're lucky you didn't put one of those idiots in ICU!"

"Says the guy that once killed Jeremy!" I snapped, knowing he couldn't hear me.

"Says the guy that once killed me." Jeremy told Damon. I smiled. It was almost like talking to my brother, just through my boyfriend and my brother not knowing I'm there because he doesn't know I'm dead, not in New Orleans like I made him believe.

"Yes, the privacy of your own home. Away from prying eyes, unlike you who went all hunter in the middle of a hallway! You got expelled, genius."

"So I don't have to go back to school?" Jeremy asked hopefully.

"I compelled Principal Weber into a very generous three-day suspension. Elena does not need to know about this. Finish eating, meet me outside." Damon got up and went to the bar. I saw Stefan enter the Grill.

"STEFAN!" I cried. I jumped up and ran to him, following him over to Damon as I bounced up and down excitedly. He was back! Then I stopped bouncing and grimaced. What if he realized something was wrong? If anyone was going to see through my whole 'I'm in New Orleans' lie, it would be my brooding, hero-hair brother, right? Damon and Stefan hugged, Stefan smiling widely at Damon. I cocked my head at Stefan. That wasn't exactly like him…

"Look, I get why you haven't called me back all summer. I wouldn't call me back either." Damon said.

"You mean because you stole my girlfriend? I'm over it. Cheers." They sipped their drinks. I stared hard at Stefan. Was his humanity off? There was something not right about him.

"Katherine's living at Chateau Salvatore."

"How did you know that?" Damon asked.

"Because I can read your mind." Damon looked over at him.

"I'm kidding, buddy. Katherine called me first. You know it's always been me first." I turned on my heel and raced back over to Jeremy. He looked over at me.

"That is not Stefan, or at least not the Stefan that left! Something's wrong!" I told him urgently.

"His brother just stole the love of his life! I think he's earned the right to be a little less… well, right." Jeremy whispered.

"Jeremy! I know Stefan! Something is wrong!" I cried, desperate. He got up and walked over to Stefan and Damon. I scampered along behind him. Stefan looked at Jeremy.

"Hey, Jeremy, looking good, man." Stefan told him, patting him on the arm.

"Hey, Stefan. Glad you're back." Jeremy returned.

"Yeah… Yeah… All right, I'll, uh, see you at home."

"Great." He left. Jeremy looked at Damon.

"Something's wrong. When he touched me, I felt a chill where my tattoo was." Jeremy told Damon.

"What are you talking about?"

"Right before I died, Silas grabbed me and I felt the same thing!"

"Silas is gone. Bonnie turned him into a big rock, remember?"

"Jeremy! Bonnie used expression to do it. Expression's not exactly a sure-fire thing! Also, she did a big spell to push you out while the other side went up, maybe that did something to effect it!" I told him.

"That was Silas!" Jeremy assured Damon.

"That's impossible."

"I'm a hunter! The whole reason for existing is to kill him. I know what I'm feeling, Damon. That was Silas!" Jeremy hissed.

"I just watched him walk through a crowd of people that saw Stefan. There's no way he could fool that many people at once!" Damon protested. Jeremy just sighed.

"What did he want?"

* * *

Jeremy, Damon and I ran into the boarding house. Katherine ran into Damon. Stefan/Silas came downstairs. Damon shoved Katherine into Jeremy's arms.

"Get her out of here. Don't tell me where you're going, just get away from here!" Damon commanded. Jeremy took Katherine and ran out.

* * *

I sat in the backseat of the car as Jeremy drove with Katherine in the front seat.

"Where are we going?" Katherine demanded.

"Shut up! Shut up! You might be human, but you are still as annoying as ever! AND YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE ME TO KNOW THAT I'M HERE AND INSULTING YOU!" I screamed.

"Hello? Are you deaf? I asked where we're going!" Katherine snapped when Jeremy didn't answer. His phone rang. He answered it.

"Hey."

"_How far did you get?_" Damon asked on the other end.

"You said not to tell you."

"_You pick now to listen to me?_"

"We just passed Miller road."

"_Good. Turn around, bring her back._" Damon hung up. Jeremy made a U-turn.

"What are you doing!? Jeremy, stop! You can't take me back there, Jeremy! Damon wouldn't just hand me over! Silas clearly got his head!" Katherine cried.

"Shut up, Katherine." Katherine looked around, desperate. Then she jabbed her hand into Jeremy's seatbelt buckle, releasing it, and grabbed the wheel, driving us head on into a pole.

* * *

I woke up in the forest. Everything was quiet and grey… I was on the other side again. I felt a pull, not strong enough to instantly take me to Jeremy, but enough to tell me where I was supposed to go. I started running towards where the car crash had taken place. I burst out of the trees and saw Jeremy lying on the road, bloody and not moving. I ran over to him, throwing myself down on my knees next to him.

"Jeremy, hold on! I know you can hear me, Jeremy, or I wouldn't have been pulled here! Please, don't die, Jeremy, please, please!" I pleaded. I heard a car pulled up behind me. I looked over my shoulder. Damon got out of the car and ran over to Jeremy.

"Jeremy!" He groaned. He bit into his wrist and fed Jeremy his blood.

"Open your eyes, Jer. You do not get to die on me, you hear me? I'm supposed to be taking care of you, you little punk! Wake up or I'll kill you myself!" Suddenly Jeremy moaned and moved a little. I let out a sigh of relief that turned out to be in unison with Damon's.

"Katherine…. Is gone…" Jeremy choked out. Damon hugged Jeremy.

"I don't care…"

* * *

A little while later, Jeremy sat on the hood of Damon's car as Damon talked to Elena on the phone.

"Don't scare me like that!" I hissed in Jeremy's ear.

"I'm sorry." He whispered back. Out of habit, I reached for his hand. When I touched, neither one of us felt it. I felt myself start to cry again.

"I'm sorry." Jeremy repeated, though I knew it was for a different reason now. Damon hung up and came back over. Jeremy looked at him.

"You didn't tell her Silas was here." Jeremy noted.

"Nor did I tell her Stefan's missing, Katherine's in town and you got expelled."

"So you lied."

"No… I withheld a bit of the truth, so that Elena wouldn't drop everything and come running home to help. I'll figure all this out." Damon corrected.

"Also, Beth isn't answering her phone… Where did you say she was again?" Damon asked.

"New Orleans. Apparently there's drama there and she's helping Elijah out." Jeremy explained quickly. Damon slowly nodded.

"Sounds like her… Just try to call her tonight, make sure she's still alive." He said it half jokingly but even then I flinched at that. _Make sure she's still alive_…. Impossible at this point. I was dead, no fixing that. I started crying again. I could see Jeremy's shoulder's tense, but he couldn't do anything to comfort me with Damon right there. I guess it sucked for both of us…

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**A/N Hoped you guys liked that chapter/episode. As always, please review and tell me what you guys think. **


	2. True Lies

**A/N Hope you guys like this one. Please review!**

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I sat in Jeremy's bedroom. He came in and quickly shut the door behind him.

"Hey! You disappeared last night!" He hurried over to me. I wiped at my eyes with my sleeves.

"Yeah, well, I wasn't in the mood to talk to you." I mumbled. He looked at me sympathetically.

"What are you thinking about doing? Hugging me? You can't." I reminded him.

"I want to…" I closed my eyes for a second.

"You need to find Katherine, remember? Go, fly, be free." I let myself be pulled back into the other side so he could focus before he could protest.

* * *

That night, I went to Matt as he was on the other side. I was relieved that he had the Gilbert ring. Katherine and Jeremy ran straight past him.

"What the-." He started.

"Freaky, isn't it? The feeling… the void… the emptiness…" Matt looked at me.

"Beth? What's going on? Where am I?!" He demanded.

"The Other Side… The Gilbert ring brought you here when you died. That's how it works. It temporarily brings your spirit here. To go back, you have to reconnect with your body." I explained.

"My body's not even here!" He protested, looking around.

"That's because each time you die, you wake up farther and farther away from it… and you wander the Other Side until you find it." I'd recently become an expert in all things the Other Side.

"Wait… If I'm on the other side… how can you see me?" He asked.

"There's something you should know…" I sighed.

* * *

As we wandered, trying to find Matt's body, I explained everything.

"It actually hasn't been so bad! I mean, I have Jeremy. I see Lexi sometimes and I know you hate him and don't care, but I saw Kol once…" I told him.

"Beth, you don't have to pretend like its okay. You died… That's not okay." He told me.

"Matt, it has to be okay! I can't do anything about it!" I told him.

"What about your brothers? They don't know, do they?" He asked. I shook my head.

"Stefan's gone and Damon… He's having the time of his life. I'm not going to let Jeremy tell him and ruin it." I told him. Matt just shook his head.

"Beth, I'm so sorry!" He hugged me. I finally let myself cry, hugging him back.

* * *

We kept wandering.

"I think someone moved my body… It's weird, but I can feel it… I'm drawn to it." He said. I nodded.

"There it is." I pointed towards his body as Katherine and Jeremy waited by it in the bed of the truck.

"So, if this happens every time I die with the Gilbert ring, the second I go back, that means I'm just gonna forget about all of this. I'll forget that you're dead. Beth, you and Jeremy can't keep this a secret anymore! I'm sorry that you died, I'm sorry that all of this happened… I know that's hard, but you have to deal with death, your own in this case." He told me. I shot him a look.

"It was nice to see you, Matt." I told him dryly, tired of his conversation. He hesitated but then went to his body and placed his hand on it. He gasped to life in the land of the living. I sighed enviously and then walked off. I heard Jeremy coming after me. I waited until we were both out of sight before I stopped and looked at him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Jeremy asked. I was crying again.

"I'm not ready to be dead yet, Jeremy! Maybe I will be one day, but it's not today! And I don't know what to do… or what happens when Damon starts looking for me… or Stefan… Even Elijah will get suspicious after a while!" I sobbed.

"It's okay! We'll get through this. I can tell everyone that you're off exploring the world. That you finally feel free and you're taking advantage of it. I'll go to New Orleans myself to tell Elijah if you need me to… I might not be able to touch you, or hold you… but I'm here for you, no matter what you need." I smiled at him, started to step closer to him but then shook my head and walked away.


	3. Original Sin

**A/N This is a short chapter, so I'll be updating the next episode/chapter as well. **

**Also, I have a new Vampire Diaries fanfiction called the Lockwood Diaries Season One if you guys would like to check that out. I would really like it if you did. Basically, it's about Tyler's little sister. It's not canon to this story, though. I will still update this fanfiction and I'll get back to The Vampire Diaries Next Generation too. **

**Anyway, please read, review and enjoy!**

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"So you finally reached out to me!" Kol said smugly as we walked through the other side together. I nodded to him.

"I don't like being dead." I admitted.

"Join the club." He returned.

"Do you ever see Finn here?" I asked.

"No… Don't really want to." He told him. I nodded again.

"Right… Jerk that tried to kill you."

"That's one name for him. Nicer than what I would have picked."

"You know my only regret?" I asked. He looked at me.

"I didn't wear better clothes. I'm stuck in ripped jeans and a t-shirt for the rest of eternity." I complained. He laughed at that. I felt a pull.

"Jeremy's thinking of me." I murmured.

"Go…" Kol told me with a sigh. I hugged him, relishing the feeling actually touching someone, before I let myself be pulled back to where Jeremy was in his bedroom.

"What's up?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest. He looked at me, worry in his eyes.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"Stefan's back-."

"YES! No…. Oh… He'll probably figure out I'm in New Orleans. He knows me, Jeremy. He knows-." I started.

"Beth! Stefan doesn't remember anything. At all. Total amnesia." I stared at him blankly for a minute.

"What?" I asked. Then, without waiting for an answer, I ran downstairs to where Stefan, Damon and Elena were in the living room.

"Stefan!" I ran over to him, knowing full well he couldn't hear me or see me.

"So you don't remember anything?" Elena asked him.

"I'm sorry, I don't. I have no idea who any of you people are." He told them. I threw myself onto the couch next to Stefan.

"Stefan! Stefan! You have to remember!" I pleaded. Jeremy had come downstairs after me. I looked at him.

"Ask him about me!" I told him.

"What does the name Beth mean to you?" Jeremy asked him. Stefan looked over at him.

"Nothing." He answered at once, shaking his head. I started crying again.

* * *

Later, I sat on Jeremy's bed. He kneeled down in front of me.

"I hate this." I complained. He nodded.

"If you hadn't taken on Connor-."

"I don't need a guilt trip. But I don't regret that anyway. He was a jerk." I mumbled. He moved up to sit down beside me.

"I'm just saying. It sucks worse that you're dead. You might be the one that Stefan needs the most right now." He told me. I nodded.

"We've always been there for each other and I know I can't be there!" I was crying again.

"Hey, hey, it's gonna be okay." Jeremy tried to comfort me and failed. I got up and left, letting myself drift back to the other side. I searched for Kol and finally managed to reach out to him.

"I'm popular today." He said with a smug smirk. I ran over to him and hugged him, crying into his shoulder. He hugged me back, though I could tell he was confused.

"I hate being dead."

"Well, darling, I haven't seen anyone who was happy about it." He hugged me tighter, letting me cry against his shoulder.

* * *

**A/N I hope I stirred up some old Beth/Kol feels there. I think I might be shipping them again... We'll see how that works out. Hope you guys liked that. Like I said, I'll update the next one since this was one so short. **


	4. For Whom the Bell Tolls

**A/N The promised second update. This one is much longer than the last one. Hope you like it. As always, please review and tell me what you think. **

* * *

I watched Jeremy doing an excessive amount of push-ups on the floor the boarding house. He glanced up and saw me watching him. He stopped.

"Don't stop on my account." I told him.

"Sorry. I, uh, just went out for a run." He told me. I nodded.

"It's not like there's Netflix here. You working out has become my primary source of entertainment." I told him. He smiled halfway.

"I was just working off some extra adrenaline." He explained.

"And every girl on the other side thanks you for it." I joked. We sat down on the stairs.

"So, is this our new thing? You make dead jokes while I try to avoid all of our friends and family on your behalf so that they can't ask about you?" He asked me.

"Is there anything that Bonnie can do to get Stefan's memory back?" I changed the subject. He shook his head. I sighed. He stared at me, looking angry.

"What happened to you being there for me in my decisions?" I demanded.

"I want to, Beth, but not like this!" He told me. I stood up.

"Wait! Don't go running to Kol again." He said quickly. I turned back to him.

"You know about that?"

"Kol arrived early this morning to rub it in my face that he could feel you and I can't." He said, gritting his teeth. I sighed again, sitting back down.

"I'm sorry. Kol's just there for me and-."

"I can't be. I get it."

"No you don't! I love you!" I told him, desperate to make him understand. His phone vibrated. He answered it.

"Hey…. Yeah… Yeah… What's going on?" I got up and left him to whatever problem had come up this time.

* * *

Later that night, Jeremy waited in the living room for Damon. I stared at him suspiciously.

"What are you doing?" I asked. He ignored me.

"JEREMY! Do not ignore me! You are literally the only living person I can talk to! Please!" I pleaded, near tears. That got him to look at me.

"I'm sorry." He told me. I wasn't sure what exactly he was apologizing for (ignoring me or something else?) when Damon walked into the room.

"Okay. Where's Beth? Did you call her and tell her about Stefan?" He asked.

"That's the problem. I can't actually call her. No one can." I grasped what he meant.

"NO! Please don't do this! Jeremy, please! Listen to me! You don't want to tell Damon this! Please, please, Jeremy!" I was sobbing just thinking about how Damon would react. Jeremy ignored me again. I wished I could hit something and actually feel it.

"I've been lying to everyone for months and I can't just keep pretending that Beth is going to swoop in and save the day." Jeremy went on.

"I don't speak crazy-person, Jer. You're gonna have to translate that." Damon told him.

"Think about it, Damon. I was dead. I wasn't supposed to come back."

"Yes, exactly. The beauty of Beth never giving up on someone she loves. She didn't even give up on _me_. That's why we need her right now! If anyone can get Stefan's memories back, it's her walking into the room and talking to him." Damon told him. I was crying hard, dropping to my knees. I saw Jeremy's eyes drift over to me and then back at Damon before Damon could notice.

"You're not hearing me. Magic finds a balance. I'm not supposed to be here." Damon's expression faltered, finally understanding.

"No…" Damon whispered in shock.

"Damon, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" I cried, running over to him.

"You can't just bring somebody back from the dead. There's always a price to pay." Jeremy kept talking.

"Don't say it, Jeremy! Don't you dare!" Damon told him.

"She didn't call you back once! She didn't come to look for Stefan! Nobody has spoken to her all summer!" Jeremy just kept going.

"Jeremy, stop it! Stop it, please!" I pleaded.

"You say it and… EVERYTHING GOES TO CRAP! DO NOT SAY IT!" Damon yelled.

"Don't say it! JEREMY!" I screamed one last plead.

"Don't…" Damon was begging now too.

"Beth is dead." I screamed in rage. I couldn't believe he had done that! Damon cussed and punched the wall, leaving a fist-sized hole in it.

"You realize what you just did?! Why would you say that?!" Damon yelled.

"I'm sorry. But you, of all people, needed to know." Jeremy told him. Damon looked pissed. He walked over to Jeremy. I thought he was going to punch him, but instead he hugged him. He exhaled loudly and then pulled away.

"Where is she? Is she here?" He asked. Jeremy nodded and pointed at me to show where I was. Damon turned and searched with his eyes, as if he could actually see me if he tried.

"Beth?"

"I'm here." Jeremy repeated the words for me.

"I'm sorry…. I should have… I should have done something." Damon told me. I was crying too hard to say anything. Jeremy walked over to me.

"Beth-." He started. I backed away.

"Thanks, Jeremy… Thanks for ruining the one thing that was good about my un-dead life. Tell Damon I'm sorry." With that said, I turned and let myself get pulled back to the Other Side.

* * *

The next day, they gathered for my funeral. I shot Jeremy a death look as I saw everyone crying. He opened his mouth but I was talking before he could.

"It's okay. They need this… I need this." I whispered. He nodded. I looked at the tree stump where they'd put some of my things. There was my stuffed wolf, obviously put there by Damon. I laughed a little. Caroline had put one of our friendship bracelets on the stump. Elena had put a picture of me, Damon and Stefan. Bonnie had put my diary, which had only a few entries in it. I hadn't written in it in forever… Matt had put a picture of just me. Jeremy had put my favorite shirt on the stump. I wished I could wear it now.

"Speak for me?" I asked Jeremy. He nodded in agreement.

"I'm not going anywhere. I've been here all along. I've watched you guys have the summer of your lives." I told the whole group. I went over to Bonnie.

"Bonnie… I know that you're not overly fond of vampires. But I wanted to thank you. You kept my secret, you respected my choice… You were… Are. You _are_ my friend." I moved on to Matt.

"Matt… I would have called you back a hundred times, but being dead kind of makes it harder. I miss you, buddy." I moved onto Caroline.

"Caroline… I hope that you decorated that dorm room like your life depended on it or I will be very disappointed in you!" We both laughed before I went on. "And I know that you're upset because Tyler is still gone, but-." I stopped when Tyler walked up. Caroline ran and hugged him. He placed a white rose on the stump of my things. I smiled.

"Tyler, took ya long enough." I told him.

"Caroline, you're my best friend. Always and forever." I promised her. She nodded and cried against Tyler's shoulder. I stared at Tyler, though he couldn't see it.

"Don't break her heart again, jerk-face." Tyler laughed somewhat at that and nodded.

"And also, I'm totally over you dumping me. I mean, you didn't exactly rock my world at all…" I added. He laughed again. I moved onto Elena.

"Elena… I've made it very clear that I hate you. And I'm not saying I don't. You made my brothers fight. You brought a freaking Original Hybrid upon us. You compelled your little brother, my boyfriend, to leave town because that's what _you _felt was right. You screwed up a lot of things in conclusion." She nodded very acceptingly at that.

"But… You also… maybe… sort of… helped bring Damon and Stefan closer… in a weird way… I'm not going to thank you though!" She laughed a little and went back to frowning. I went over to Damon, knowing he was going to be the hardest person to say goodbye too.

"Damon… I'm sorry for a lot of things. But I'm not sorry that I died. I mean, I am, just not for the reason. I thought I could take Connor on myself. Yes, I died, but I died fighting and that's all I ever wanted to do: go down like a warrior. I miss you already… When Stefan gets his memories back, which I choose to believe he will, tell him that I'm sorry and that I miss him too and that I would have traveled the world for a thousand years with him if I hadn't… you know. But I want you to move on. I want you to keep living your life, as long as that does not involve messing with my stuff. Oh, and be nicer to Jeremy."

"Jeremy, did she actually say that?" Damon asked.

"Yes!" Jeremy shot back. I rolled my eyes.

"You should see me rolling my eyes right now. I love you. I'm sorry and… I'm glad you're happy." I turned and walked over to Jeremy. Matt was holding Bonnie, Tyler was holding Caroline and Elena and Damon were holding each other. I looked at Jeremy and reached for his hand. He uncurled his fist and let me take it and hold it, though we couldn't feel it.

* * *

**A/N Am I the only one that really loves Damon and Beth's relationship? I just love writing it. Hope you guys like reading it as much as I love writing it! **


	5. Monster's Ball

**A/N Hope you guys like this chapter. It's shorter than the others, but they will get longer again. **

* * *

Jeremy sat in a chair in the Salvatore Boarding House living room. I sat on the loveseat across from him. Damon stood in between us.

"So, as we know, in psychotic lapse of judgment, Beth took on Connor again and died in the process, allowing you to return to life. May my baby sister rest in peace-." Damon started.

"Actually she's right over there." Jeremy pointed to me. I waved, though he couldn't see it.

"Whatever. Look. The whole point is, I just happen to know a supernatural being who just happens to want to die and in the spirit of nature needing balance and a life for a life and all that stuff, I just think it would be a huge waste of a perfectly good death." Damon explained.

"What are you talking about?" Jeremy asked.

"Something that no one else needs to know about until it works."

"Wait. You want to work with Silas?"

"From the beginning, Silas' whole bad-guy plan was to kill himself, pass on to wherever he was gonna pass on to and reunite with his dead girlfriend, Amara. I want to use his death to bring Beth back to life. To die, he has to be mortal. If he's mortal, then he's a witch. And if he dies a witch then he's stuck on the Other Side forever."

"He already tried to bring down the veil to the Other Side. He failed." Jeremy reminded him.

"Maybe he has a plan B. Maybe he wants to do something more than just drop the veil and let all the ghosts out." I suggested. Jeremy was looking at me as I talked.

"You know I can't hear you, right, Beth?" Damon asked

"She thinks that Silas wants to destroy the Other Side completely." Jeremy told him.

"Powerful spells are bound by something even more powerful, the moon, a comet, a doppelganger… The Other Side was made two thousand years ago and it still exists. That means she must have bound it to something that could exist just as long." I explained. Jeremy repeated it to Damon.

"Since when did you get all knowledgeable about everything?" Damon asked.

"Stabby the Unicorn let me borrow some books from his magic library on the Other Side." I said sarcastically. Jeremy repeated it to Damon. Damon rolled his eyes.

"Good to see you still have your sense of humor." He muttered.

"Back to my original question: let's say Silas destroys the Other Side, cures himself, becomes a witch. Is it supernaturally possible that he can do a spell that swaps Beth's life for his once he kills himself?" Damon asked.

"Supernaturally, yeah. It's possible. But it's the same Silas that killed you, Jeremy! And Bonnie's dad, let's not forget. He's ruthless! And whatever spell he could do, there'll be some consequences. I'm not an idiot; I can guarantee that much. So no. No! Not happening!" I told him.

"What'd she say? Tell me!" Damon demanded.

"She's in!" Jeremy said. I looked at him.

"What?!"

* * *

Later, I paced the floor as Jeremy sat watching me. Damon had already left to go strike a deal with Silas.

"You need to call Damon and tell him that you lied!" I told him.

"So I can lie for you all summer but when it's something that I want-." He started.

"Silas is too dangerous, Jeremy!"

"And taking on Connor wasn't? Oh, right, it killed you!"

"I took on Connor because I knew that I had to! To protect my family! They needed me to kill him!"

"Well, now they need you to come back."

"What about the consequences? Haven't we learned this by now? When you abuse magic, there is always a price!" I told him. He stood up and crossed the room so he was right in front of me.

"What is worse than this?! What is worse than seeing you and hearing you…" He tried to touch my check but neither of us felt it. "…and not being able to feel you? This isn't enough anymore! Let Damon try to bring you back."


	6. Handle with Care

**A/N I'm giving you two chapters/episodes today because this one is pretty short. **

* * *

I watched as Jeremy demolished a crate in a warehouse.

"What did that crate ever do to you?" He spun around.

"Beth! What are you doing here?"

"I didn't want to miss the excitement. It's not everyday a girl gets to come back to life."

"Don't jinx it."

"I'm not jinxing it. The whole plan is stupid and it's jinxing itself." I told him simply. He shot me a look.

"It's called being realistic." He walked over to me so we were inches away from each other. I should have been able to feel his breath on my face, but I didn't.

"This will work." He insisted. I gave him a doubtful look.

"Before today is over, we'll know what this-." He touched my cheek. "-Feels like."

I listened as Damon told Jeremy that the plan was off. He wouldn't risk Elena for this. Damon walked back inside and I went over to Jeremy.

"It's okay, Jer-."

"No. It's not! I'm sorry! But she's my sister and-."

"I'm used to being second to Elena Gilbert." I assured him. He looked horrified.

"That's not-." He started.

"I get it, okay? Now please go help Damon kill Silas before Damon's gets his butt handed to him."

Later, Damon and Jeremy were in the Salvatore Boarding House living room. They each poured themselves a drink. Damon looked at Jeremy as he drank.

"We couldn't get Beth back. I get a pass." Jeremy told him.

"Did I say anything?" Damon asked him. I went over to Jeremy.

"Tell Damon's its okay."

"No. No, I won't because it's not!" Jeremy protested.

"What?" Damon asked.

"Beth's here." Damon sighed, putting his head down on the table.

"I'm sorry, Beth." He murmured.

"Tell him its okay." I told Jeremy firmly.

"Beth says its okay." He said through his teeth. Damon shook his head.

"Jeremy's right, baby sis, it's not."

* * *

I drifted on the Other Side. Kol walked up behind me.

"Well, aren't you cheerful today?" I turned to him.

"I would be… But no one else is very happy and it's my fault for dying in the first place."

"Well, we could go to New Orleans."

"Why?"

"See how my family's doing. You seem fond of Elijah…"

"Kol. Shut it."

"Whatever you say, darling. Are we going or not?"

"Just for a minute. Then I'm coming back so I can watch my idiot friends and brothers."


	7. Death and the Maiden

**A/N the promised second update. **

* * *

I stood in Jeremy's bedroom. He walked in and sat down on the bed.

"It turns out it's not gonna be that easy to keep Amara alive." He told me. I nodded.

"I wonder what will happen if she dies and the Other Side gets destroyed. Do think there will be a white light and then nothing? I hope it doesn't hurt. It would suck if it hurt."

"Beth, there's something I want to tell you. Actually, there are three things I want to tell you."

"Don't you dare keep me a goodbye speech." I protested.

"This is not a goodbye. That's the first thing." He told me.

"Oookay…" I stretched out the word.

"I know one way or another that you'll always be here. The second thing is thank you. I… I wouldn't be alive right now if you hadn't-."

"Gotten my butt killed by a vampire hunter? Yeah." I agreed.

"And the third thing is-."

"Jeremy, don't tell me yet. If you don't tell me then we have to wait for another time, which means there will be another time." I told him.

"I'm not sure it works like that." Jeremy told me.

"Well, let's pretend it does."

* * *

Jeremy walked into the cell where Amara was tied up. I waited by the door, watching the Original Petrova Doppelganger.

"How's our mental patient doing?" Jeremy asked.

"I guess all those years alone sent her over the edge. Something to look forward to…" I muttered. Jeremy approached Amara and she moved away.

"Relax. I'm just bringing dinner." Jeremy told her.

"I know you."

"I don't think you do." Jeremy told her.

"You're the Hunter. I never forget a face… But Silas killed you. You're dead."

"I was. I came back."

"How?" She looked straight at me and I thought she must be looking at something behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw nothing.

"It was you, wasn't it? You helped the witch bring him back."

"You can see me?" I asked.

"Of course I can see you! I'm not blind! I have eyes! Or are you dead? I get so mixed up… I can't tell the difference between the living and the dead."

"Can you see people on the Other Side?" Jeremy asked.

"I'm the anchor to the Other Side. I see everything." I walked over to her and touched her shoulder.

"Don't touch me! Please don't touch me!" I could feel her shoulder underneath my palm.

"I can touch her!" I told Jeremy.

"Okay… That's weird." He said. His expression faltered.

"Beth…I think I have an idea."

* * *

In the living room, Jeremy was talking to Damon and Elena.

"Amara could see Beth and Beth could touch her. They made physical contact. It's like Amara's got a foot on each side or something." Jeremy explained.

"Amara exists in both places at once, here and the Other Side?" Elena asked.

"Then she's not crazy-crazy, she's just talking to dead supernatural beings roaming in our basement." Damon said.

"That's not the point." I said even though he couldn't hear me.

"The point is, if Silas isn't going to help us, what if Beth could be the same thing? What if she existed on both sides at once? What if she became the anchor?" Jeremy asked.

"You're right, Jeremy, you're right…. So all we would need is someone who could do that spell." Elena agreed.

"Bonnie?" I suggested.

"She doesn't know the spell, though." Jeremy told me.

"Oh, don't say what I think you're going to say!" Damon begged.

"Think about it… Silas wants Amara to die, Amara wants Amara to die, so who, besides us, is the one person with the biggest stake against letting that happen?"

* * *

I stood in the drawing room. Amara, Katherine, Elena and Tessa were all there, doing the spell to make me the anchor to the other side instead.

"No!" Tessa suddenly cried.

"Is it done?" Katherine asked.

"No, it's not done!" Tessa snapped. The wind started blowing stronger than before the light bulbs above exploded.

"What's happening?!" Elena cried.

"Silas is happening! Show yourself!" Tessa yelled. The room went completely dark. We stood in darkness for a second before Damon walked in with a flashlight.

"Electricity's out in the whole house. What happened?" He asked.

"Silas is here." Elena told him.

"Well, Silas owes me a fuse box. Hang on… Assuming that Beth is still here, I only count three crazy girls. Where's Crazy-Pants?" Damon asked.

"And where's the other Crazy?" Elena asked. Tessa and Amara were both gone.

* * *

I walked up behind Jeremy as he waited in the living room. I was crying again.

"I came to say goodbye." He spun around.

"What are you talking about? Tessa's doing the spell-."

"Amara's dying, Jeremy."

"No, that's impossible. Damon-."

"Damon is doing all he can because he knows that if she dies then I'm… stuck here, but…"

"But-."

"Stop. We don't have much time. Tell me the third thing."

"Beth…"

"Tell me. Please."

"I love you." He told me.

"I love you too, Jeremy. More than Kol, more than Elijah… I love you so much." I told him.

"I'm not ready to let you go." He whispered. He lifted his hand and touched my face. We both looked at each other.

"I can feel you." I breathed.

"So can I…" He said, shocked. Just then, Caroline, Bonnie and Elena entered the room.

"Beth?" I looked at them.

"Please tell me this is real." Caroline said, starting to cry.

"You can see me?" I asked.

"Beth, it worked!" Jeremy told me.

"It worked?" I asked. He grabbed my face and kissed me. When he pulled away, Caroline hugged me.

"You here!" She cried.

"It worked!" I gasped. Bonnie hurried forward and hugged me. Elena went to hug Jeremy since she knew that I would not allow her to hug me.

"I missed you so much!" Caroline told me. Once Bonnie pulled away, Caroline hugged me again. The front door opened. We all turned. Damon and Stefan walked in, arguing. Then they froze, looking at me. Caroline stepped back as Damon darted forward. He hugged me, pulling me off my feet.

"It worked… Don't you ever die again!" Damon told me. He pulled back to kiss me on the forehead.

"Don't plan on it." I told him. He put me down and I went over to hug Stefan. Then, as I pulled away, I smacked him upside the head.

"Jerk-face."

"What did I do?!"

"You lost your memories and missed my funeral! And I'm the person that puts the 'fun' in funeral!" I told him. He held his head painfully but laughed. I hugged him again.

* * *

Later that night, I lied on the couch with Jeremy.

"I missed this… I miss feeling warm. I never felt warm on the Other Side." I murmured.

"I missed _this_. Holding you. Kissing you." He kissed me to prove his point. I giggled. He wrapped his arms around me.

"I'm never going to let you go again." He kissed me again. I pulled away.

"And as much as I would like to never move from this spot again, I should go."

"Where?" He asked, frowning.

"Everywhere! I want to talk to Caroline about best friend things. I want to talk to Damon about brother-sister things. I want to talk to Stefan about how he missed my fun funeral!" I told him. He laughed.

"Fine. But then come right back." He told me. I nodded in agreement and slid out of his arms. I headed into the library in search of the others. It was empty, so I turned to leave. I jumped when Tessa was right behind me.

"You're the anchor now."

"Yeah, I got that. Where did you come from?" I asked.

"I'm dead. As I pass through you, you'll feel my death. You'll feel every death. Every supernatural being that passes over to the Other Side will pass through you. Sorry. That's gonna hurt." She touched my shoulder. It felt like I was getting burned alive, Vervained and staked all at the same time. And I screamed.


	8. Dead Man On Campus

**A/N I haven't updated in a while and I apologize. Writing this season sucks because I know I'm going to have to write the last two episodes of the season and those made me cry, so I know I'm going to hate it writing it from Cynthia's point of view. **

**But I have been writing more. I hope you guys like this chapter, even though it's short, and please review as always. **

* * *

I was kissing Jeremy in his bedroom.

"Hmm… I've missed this!" He complained. I laughed.

"Me too." I kissed him again. Out of the corner of my eye I saw an elderly lady in the doorway. I suppressed a moan.

"Damon's calling." I lied to Jeremy.

"I didn't hear anything."

"You don't have vampire hearing." I quickly left the room and went outside. The woman followed me. I stopped a good distance away from the house.

"Just do it!" I told her.

"I am ready." She said calmly. She touched my shoulder. Expecting the pain this time, I didn't scream, just fell to my knees and cried.

* * *

Later, Jeremy caught up to me in the living room. He wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Damon's off at some party, which means we have the house to ourselves." He whispered. I turned to look at him.

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Good. I'm going to need you to come with me."

"Where are we going?"

"To our own party."

* * *

In Jeremy's bedroom, he sat me down on the bed. I started unbuttoning his shirt. I got it off and tossed it to the side. He started pulling off my shirt before I saw someone in the doorway.

"Not now." I moaned, pushing myself away from Jeremy.

"Um, okay?" Jeremy asked, not seeing the man in the doorway.

"Not you." I told him with a huff. The man grabbed my arms and I clenched my teeth together to stop myself from screaming. It didn't work; I screamed and fell to the floor.

"Beth! What's going on? Beth!" Jeremy threw himself to the floor beside me. It faded and I looked up at him.

"What was that?" He demanded.

"I'm the anchor to the Other Side, Jeremy. Everything supernatural being that dies passes through me… And I feel how they die."

"How often does that happen?!" I didn't answer, telling him everything he needed to know.

"Why… Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm back here, Jeremy. We knew there would be consequences. Just kiss me."

"What?"

"Kiss me." He obeyed.

* * *

I slid out of bed and pulled on some clothes. I went downstairs.

"Damon?" I called. I frowned. Shouldn't he be back by now? I picked up my phone from the coffee table and called his phone. I waited for him to pick up, but he didn't.

"What the heck?" I asked myself.

"What's wrong?" I turned to look at Jeremy.

"Damon's not back… Never mind. He's being Damon." I went over to him and kissed him again to get rid of my worry.


End file.
